Say Goodbye
by psychodramabeautyfish
Summary: Vancha quits being a Vampaneze but can never see Gannen again. was so much better in my imagination


Note: Vancha and Gannen don't belong to me, the Darren Shan Saga doesn't belong to me blah blah blah.

Say Goodbye

Vancha's P.O.V.

He sighed.

"I'm disappointed in you both but very well. But on one condition."

Gannen had nearly relaxed but now he tensed up again. I was taller than him but he was still shielding me protectively against Orpheus.

"You are never to mix with any Vampaneze again. Do you understand?" He said directly to me.

I nodded.

"Good. Now leave."

I stared around the cave, the fire we'd lit was burning brightly and it was warm. Whereas outside, I could see snowflakes falling.

I warily padded around to pick up my cloak and shoes. Then tiptoed back over to the mouth of the cave.

Gannen watched me. He was trembling.

I wrapped one arm around his shoulders tightly, and he hugged me back fiercely.

"I'll come back and see you." I said.

He nodded.

"No you most certainly will not!" snapped Orpheus, stalking over. "I said you were never to mix with ANY Vampaneze again! That includes your brother."

Sheer shock made it impossible for me to answer. Never… Gannen was all I had left, I was all he had left! We'd always been together! We'd lost everything but we'd always had each other.

"Vancha. Leave." Orpheus growled. "Now."

"I…"

"NOW!"

"I can't leave Gannen!"

"Then I'm afraid I have no choice." The Vampaneze drew his sword faster than my eyes could follow. "I'm sorry Vancha." He said softly, drawing his sword back.

I was frozen to the spot. I couldn't move.

"I'll leave too!"

We both stopped, staring at Gannen, who was pulling his own cloak around his shoulders, his expression uncharacteristically grim.

Orpheus snapped out of it. "No you won't." He disagreed.

"If I can't see Vancha again then I quit too." Said Gannen, his voice shaking.

Orpheus drew himself up to his full height, towering over us both.

"That was not the agreement." He said icily. "I said I would spare your brother, but you remain here. I can not let both of you leave, therefore the only other path open to me is to kill you both. So I would advise you not to push your luck, Gannen Harst." He glared at Gannen, and then at me.

Part of me was proud of my little brother, but sense was stronger.

"I'll leave." I said.

Gannen stared at me.

"Vancha you ca-"

"I'll leave." I repeated, stronger this time.

I pulled Gannen closer to me, lowering my voice although I was sure Orpheus could still hear every word.

"Don't make me watch you get turned into mincemeat as well." I whispered.

"If you go then so do I." He hissed back.

"No you don't." I snapped, dredging up my remaining scraps of elder brother authority.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'm your elder brother. You're meant to listen to me."

"I don't care!"

"Look." I whispered, lowering my voice even more. "We've got 900ish years right?"

Gannen nodded, his teeth digging into his lower lip.

"So that's a lot of time right? I'll see you again, trust me." Although my voice cracked I grinned at him, not sure who I was trying to convince.

Gannen glared at me for a long time. Then nodded grudgingly.

"Fine." He grunted. "Go on then, go."

I hugged him again, yanked his arms off me when he wouldn't let go – just like when we were kids – and ran to the entrance of the cave…

…Where I hesitated. It was snowing, it was dark, it was dangerous… I glanced at Gannen again, did I really want to go?

Orpheus started towards me, which made up my mind.

I fled.

I ran blindly, not seeing where I was going. I ran and ran, slipping and sliding down bank, branches whipping my arms and legs, stumbling on the uneven ground. It was freezing, the wind bit into my skin despite my cloak, the cold gnawing into the ten scars on my finger tips.

I ran until I was gasping for breath, and then I crawled into some thick briars and curled up underneath my cloak.

The wind was whistling around my little hide away, and somewhere in the distance I heard the howl of a lone wolf, desolate and mournful.

What would I do? Where would I go? How would I survive?

Trickles of salty water ran down my face and into my mouth.

Mother, Father, Nathaniel, Rosa-May… Gannen and I were the only ones left. The only two who survived.

I sobbed harder.

When they were all ill, Gannen as well, I'd been scared. Scared of being alone. Scared of being the only one left. Of having no one.

Gannen was the only one who recovered, but at least I wasn't alone. We had each other when everyone else had gone. And that had made it bearable for both of us.

But I still remembered that fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of losing my last family...

I was alone now.

I howled, my cries coming as harsh chokes of emotion which were swallowed up by the wind.

Gannen's P.O.V.

I didn't cry, I wailed.

Orpheus ignored me for best part of an hour before growling:

"Stop it."

I turned furiously and hurled a small rock at him. He caught it deftly and nonchalantly tossed it to one side.

Then he strode over to me and I thought he was going to punish my defiance, but instead he laid a hand gently on my shoulder.

"I know you'll miss him." He said in a low voice. "But you'll get used to it. He made his own choice, and you have to respect that."

"You would've killed him!" I spat at Orpheus.

"Yes."

"He's my brother!"

"Yes."

"He's my brother!" I screamed again. "How could you kill him?!"

Orpheus regarded me steadfastly, and when he next spoke there was ice in his tone.

"Do you remember the woman at the mill?"

"Yes. But what has that go to do w-"

"You killed her."

"What has-"

"She had a family. She was someone's sister, someone's daughter. And you readily killed her."

"Yes but-"

"How is me killing your brother any different?"

I opened my mouth to retort but I couldn't think of anything to say.

"That's different…" I croaked eventually, not believing myself.

Orpheus looked satisfied, walking back over to the fire and carrying on with his cooking.

I felt sick.

I stared blankly out into the dark night again and heard a wolf howling, silent tears dribbling down my face.

¬.¬ I imagined this so differently…


End file.
